Exercise 3: Note Completion

British & IGCSE › Cambridge IGCSE English as a Second Language (0510)

What Exercise 3 is

Exercise 3 is the third reading exercise in Paper 1. You read one text, usually an article, of about 400–500 words. Then you complete a set of brief notes under two headings. Imagine you are preparing to give a short talk or write a summary, and you need to pull the useful facts out of the article. One bullet point is already done for you as an example. You fill in the rest.

Exercise 3 is different from Exercise 1. In Exercise 1 the questions usually follow the order of the text and each answer is in one place. In Exercise 3 the information you need is spread across the whole article, and the article also contains plenty of information that does not belong under either heading. Your job is to select: find exactly the points that fit each heading and leave everything else out.

What good notes look like

A note is usually a noun phrase (a group of words built around a noun) or a very short verb phrase. It keeps the key words and drops everything else: no 'because', no 'the writer says that', no full stops needed.

Spelling and grammar are not what is being tested in the reading exercises. Small errors are usually accepted as long as the meaning is clear. But a note that is so short or so badly written that its meaning is unclear will not get the mark.

The six rules for full marks

1. Match the heading exactly. If the heading says 'Advantages for students', a benefit for teachers is wrong, even if it is in the article. If it says 'Problems at the beginning', a problem that happens now is wrong. Underline every key word in each heading.
2. Do not repeat the example. The example has already used one point. If you write the same idea in different words, you get zero for that bullet.
3. Do not mix points between headings. Each point belongs under one heading only. A reason for doing something is not a disadvantage of it. Check before you write.
4. One idea per bullet. If you squeeze two points into one bullet, you only get one mark, and you have wasted a point you could have used on another line. If you write three ideas on one line and one of them is wrong, you may lose the mark.
5. Keep to the text. Use words from the article. Do not add your own ideas, opinions or general knowledge, even if they are true.
6. Be specific, not vague. 'The weather' or 'money' is usually too vague. Say what about it: 'too hot at midday', 'saves money on rent'.

Good and bad notes: worked examples

Read this short extract, then look at the notes students wrote for the heading 'Reasons why teenagers join the climbing club'. The example given in the exam was: *• make new friends*.

'Most of our teenage members say they joined to meet people outside school, and that is the reason we hear most often. But many also tell us they wanted a sport that is not about competing against others. Some have been sent by their doctor to build strength after an injury. Parents like the club because it is cheap and close to the bus station, and our coaches love seeing teenagers grow in confidence.'

So for this heading the two safe answers are a non-competitive sport and build strength (after an injury). Notice how many sentences in the extract looked useful but did not fit the heading.

Mini practice: choose the right heading

Read the extract and decide which points go under each heading. Then check the answer.

'Our town's repair café opened last spring. Every Saturday, volunteers fix broken lamps, bikes and clothes for free. It keeps useful objects out of the rubbish, and visitors learn to make simple repairs themselves. Running it is not easy, though. Finding enough volunteers with electrical skills is hard, the hall we rent is too small on busy days, and some people bring items that are simply too dangerous to repair.'

1. Heading 1: Benefits of the repair café (2 points). Heading 2: Difficulties of running the café (3 points). Which points go where?

   Show answer

   Benefits: • free repairs • less rubbish / objects kept out of the rubbish • visitors learn to repair things (any two). Difficulties: • not enough volunteers with electrical skills • hall too small on busy days • some items too dangerous to repair. Note that 'opened last spring' and 'every Saturday' are true facts, but they fit neither heading.

The method, step by step

1. Read the title of the article and both headings first. Underline the key words in each heading (who? what? when?). Paraphrase each heading in your head, e.g. 'Problems the school has faced' = 'What went wrong or was difficult?'
2. Read the example carefully. Find it in the text and cross it out lightly so you do not use it again. It also shows you how short your notes should be.
3. Read the whole text once, with both headings in mind. Mark possible answers in the margin with '1' (heading 1) or '2' (heading 2). Remember that the points are spread through the whole article, often not in order, and a heading's points can be found in several paragraphs.
4. Check every marked point against its heading. Ask: is it for the right person? The right time? Is it a different idea from the example? Is it a different idea from my other notes?
5. Write short notes, one idea per bullet, using words from the text.
6. Count. If there are 3 bullets, write exactly 3 notes, and if there are 4, write 4. If the text has more correct points than bullets, choose the clearest ones. Do not add extra lines.

Timing

Exercise 3 is worth 7 marks. Following the time plan on the exam overview page, aim for about 13 minutes: 2 minutes on the headings and example, 7 minutes reading and marking the text, and 4 minutes writing and checking the notes.

Full practice: Lessons under the sky

Set a timer for 13 minutes. Read the article and complete the notes.

Lessons under the sky

When the bell rings at Greenfield International School, not every class heads indoors. Three years ago, the school turned an empty corner of its playground into an outdoor classroom: a circle of wooden benches, a whiteboard fixed to a wall and a roof made of shade cloth. Today, almost every subject, from maths to music, uses it at least once a week. Students simply call it 'the Circle'.

Head teacher Tarek Mansour says the idea came from a simple observation. 'In the afternoons, our classrooms were hot and stuffy, and students were struggling to stay awake,' he explains. 'Fresh air makes an enormous difference to concentration.' Teachers have noticed other changes too. Students who are shy in a normal classroom often speak up more outside, perhaps because the atmosphere feels less formal. Science lessons have also become far more practical, since pupils can study insects, soil and plants directly instead of looking at pictures in a textbook.

There are benefits for health as well. Research suggests that children today spend less time outdoors than any generation before them, and doctors have linked this to poor eyesight and low levels of vitamin D. Even one hour a day outside, Mr Mansour argues, helps to reduce these risks.

Teachers themselves report feeling more relaxed when they teach outside, and several say that planning outdoor lessons has made them more creative. However, the project has not been without its difficulties. 'The weather is the obvious one,' admits Leila Haddad, who teaches English. 'In summer, the middle of the day is simply too hot, so we can only use the space early in the morning.' Sandstorms are another problem; on those days, lessons have to be moved back inside at very short notice.

Noise is a further issue. The outdoor classroom is close to the football pitch, and when another class is having a PE lesson, it can be hard for students to hear the teacher. The school is now planting a line of trees to act as a barrier. Equipment also causes headaches. Laptops are almost useless in bright sunlight because the screens are difficult to read, and paper worksheets blow away in the wind unless teachers remember to bring clipboards.

Finally, some parents were unsure at first. They wanted to know whether their children would be protected from insects and the sun, and whether lessons outside were 'real' learning. The school held an open morning so that families could watch a lesson for themselves, and most of their concerns disappeared quickly.

Mr Mansour is convinced the effort is worth it. 'We are not trying to replace the classroom,' he says. 'We are simply giving our students another place to learn, one where they can see the sky.' He hopes other schools in the city will follow.

Question 8. Benefits of outdoor lessons for students

• *Example:* better concentration (thanks to fresh air)
• ……………………
• ……………………
• ……………………

[3 marks]

Question 9. Difficulties the school has faced with the outdoor classroom

• ……………………
• ……………………
• ……………………
• ……………………

[4 marks]

1. Question 8: acceptable answers (any three, one mark each)

   Show answer

   • shy students speak up more / shy students more confident (in a less formal atmosphere) • more practical science lessons / study insects, soil and plants directly • less risk of poor eyesight • (higher) vitamin D levels / less risk of low vitamin D Not accepted: 'fresh air' or 'stay awake' (= the example: concentration) · 'teachers more relaxed' or 'more creative' (benefits for TEACHERS, not students) · 'better health' alone (too vague: say which health benefit) · 'uses it once a week' (a fact, not a benefit). Note: eyesight and vitamin D are two separate points, so they can earn two marks on two lines.

2. Question 9: acceptable answers (any four, one mark each)

   Show answer

   • too hot in the middle of the day (in summer) • sandstorms / lessons moved inside at short notice • noise from PE lessons / football pitch / hard to hear the teacher • laptop screens hard to read in sunlight • worksheets blow away in the wind • parents' worries (about insects, sun or whether it is real learning) Not accepted: 'the weather' alone (too vague: heat and sandstorms are two separate, specific points) · 'planting trees' or 'held an open morning' (these are SOLUTIONS, not difficulties) · 'laptops and worksheets' together in one bullet (two ideas, one mark only) · 'hot and stuffy classrooms' (this was the problem with INDOOR classrooms, the reason the project began).

Final checklist

• I underlined the key words in both headings (who, what, when).
• I did not repeat the example in different words.
• Each bullet has ONE idea, and no two bullets say the same thing.
• Every note fits its heading and not the other one.
• My notes are short and use words from the text, with no ideas of my own.
• My notes are specific, not vague words like 'weather' or 'money'.
• I wrote exactly the number of notes asked for.